Heavy backpacks can spoil the pleasures of being in the outdoors. There are two ways to resolve this:

Carry less

Find an alternative to the backpack

While the first option is usually the best one, it's not always possible to carry less. If you head into a cold environment where you have few if any opportunities to resupply, you just have to take a lot of food, clothing, etc. and it will make your backpack heavier.

That seems like it would be incredibly awkward to manage, and could pull you backwards / sideways if you tried to navigate basic roots or stone steps on a trail. If option #1 isn't sufficient to let you meet your backpacking goals, could you do more training hikes and cardio to build up to your trip? Or try more comfortable backpacks?
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DavidRJan 24 '13 at 20:16

@DavidR I'm in good condition and have a good backpack; I've hiked through the Pyrenees with a backpack of +20kg. (I'm not looking to use this walking trailer in the Pyrenees, by the way, just to be clear). I can do all of that, however, I can't say it's always comfortable and I think there are cases, especially thru-hiking, where a walking trailer may be more efficient and comfortable, which is why I'm looking into it. Not to replace my backpack altogether, just to have an alternative for cases in which the walking trailer may be better suited.
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BenJan 24 '13 at 20:24

@DavidR - I do like that as an option 3. Build up strength to allow you to carry more
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Rory Alsop♦Jan 24 '13 at 21:45

5 Answers
5

I met a fellow from Holland using a Wheelie to hike across Canada. This was his third or fourth summer hiking across Canada and he recommended the Wheelie for anything close to what he was doing. He walked mostly without using his hands, but he loved the handles for when the road was rough. He was using roads exclusively. He had purchased the optional axle support to improve the stability of the center, and said it was well worth the cost. He didn't recommend the Wheelie for rough trails or off-road situations.

I am 59, and cannot carry enough weight for my wife and me to camp overnight in the woods. She can only carry a few pounds. I want a single axle trailer that will work on trails, but I want the forward-reaching handles like on the Wheelie to allow me to control it better when I need it.

I made my own hiking trailer - first version 2011. I pulled my hiking trailer in various environments. You can read more in my Wiki pages - the text is Finnish but you can use Google translator. In my Wikipages you can find answers to many guestions and problems. It really works very well in all terrain.

Compare the size of those wheels with the size of the wheels of outdoor vehicles, and you'll see that such small wheels can't work well in hard terrain!

Probably even on dry meadow the energy you'll have to use to drag that device, which will constantly catch on blades of grass and other plants, would be much more than that you'll use to carry a backpack.

I think that device is most appropriate for people traveling to agriculture hostels with the public transport, because the country road is the toughest terrain it can deal with.

If you look for carrying solution in really outdoor environment consider taking an animal, for example a horse.

See the llamas looking at them weirdly at 2:10? That's because the llamas know how ridiculous it is!

I'm not just referring to how it looks, I'm referring to the fact that in anything other than nice terrain it just doesn't look like it'll work. Fancy pulling that through a marsh? Even assuming the ground is solid (big assumption in the wilderness) the video shows a pretty immense amount of struggle going through a simple gate, with a style or tight kissing gate it's going to be near impossible to manage. The webpage says you can put it on your back, yes, but then it looks awkward and unwieldy - and if you still have to put it on your back, what's the point? It also costs the earth, could well get a puncture on rough terrain, and perhaps most inconveniently takes up both your hands, meaning you couldn't use both it and a map or GPS on the go.

Seems like a gimmick to me. If you felt you needed the extra weight it provides, I'd first ask the question as to why you couldn't fit this into a rucksack, what your aim is, and then work from there. Sometimes, planning to cut down on weight is a fun part of the whole experience!